How to Use Hashtags on Instagram

I didn’t always think that hashtags were a good idea. To be perfectly honest when I first started my Instagram account I didn’t like them at all. My first impression of hashtags were that they were tacky and very unnessecary. Sure the odd super long use of a hashtag as a joke always got a kick out of me but I never did see the value in utilizing hashtags. I put this post together to share exactly how to use hashtags on Instagram and highlight the value they have (oh, how I was wrong in the beginning! ha!)

Since I have changed my opinion on the value of hashtags I have started implemented different strategies for using hashtags. My Instagram account has grown at a noticably faster rate as hashtags has drastically increased my account exposure as well as introduced me to new accounts I wouldn’t have otherwise discovered.

6 Tips | How to Use Hashtags on Instagram

1. Hide Them // Hashtags are ugly and nobody really wants to see them. Since the hashtags don’t add any value to your followers/viewers why would you want it to take away from your message or image. Common ways to hide them are to immediately comment with your hashtags after your post has gone live or some people will include it in their caption but just add
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and then the list of tags so that they become hidden in the initial screen when scrolling your feed. I personally go the route of the first comment as they are hidden and often never seen again once two people engage with comments on your feed.

2. Research // Know your niche and who you want to be viewing your images and who will be viewing the hashtag feeds. For me I am a Canadian lifestyle motherhood blogger so I use ,ultiple hashtags that are focused around that, photography and blogging. I use a wide range of hashtags, it is important to research and find a variety of hashtags to use, you want some really big tags as well as some smaller ones. (You can see how used the hashtag is by going to it in the app and looking at the amount of times it has been used. I would say under 100,000 would be a smaller tag size)

3.Use Tags Related To Your Content // By this I mean tag what you see. If I am posting something of my daughter and she is wearing something from a handmade Instagram shop I will always check to see what their hashtag is before posting and be sure to include that in my list. This allows the shop to find your post easily (even if you tagged them in the post they might not see that). Some shops check their hashtags looking for images to share on their feed, if your image gets reposted from using a hashtag that is a major win and can gain you a lot of great exposure. It is also smart to search for multiple hashtags that are related to accounts that repost images, I took advantage of this while pregnant and used #babylistbump which is a huge Instagram account that features bump photos they like that are listed under that hashtag.

See the @babylist #babylistbump feature — which also ended up being my most liked bump photo

4. Copy and Paste or use Shortcuts // If you are a mom blogger you will want to create a list of relevant tags related to motherhood and blogging. Put a list together in the notes of your phone and either copy the tags to your clipboard so you can easily paste in your caption or first comment. Another easy option for creating a list of multiple hashtags is to create a keyboard shortcut like “#hashtag” and then everytime you type that your phone autocorrects to your list of tags. Check out one of my images to grab some of my favorite hashtags for yourself to use (just make sure we are in the same niche first, ha!)

5. Use the Max Amount Possible // If you are going to start using them, use up every option that you can. You can add up to 30 hashtags per post so you mineaswell take advantage of that! I generally create 25 that I copy to my clipboard that generally work for every image that I share on my feed and then leave 5 spots open to create new tags that are directly related to what is in the image.

6. Have More then One List Copied // When posting more then once a day (which is hugely beneficial if you are trying to grow your account — I suggest 2-3 posts a day) it is a smart idea to create more then one hashtag list using different hashtags. You want to be seen right, well what better way to be seen then to use 60 hashtags a tag then 30?! Also when you use hashtags and your photo gets good traffic it could land in the top 9 spot for that tag, you don’t want to override your first photo in the top nine with your second. Using two different sets of tags opens you up to double the audience twice as fast. Getting your photos into one of the top nine spots is HUGE and something that you want to make last. I had one image go Insta viral and the amount of likes and followers continued to come in as it stayed in almost all of my hashtagged top nine spots for two days.

I really hope that you have found this list helpful and you can start implementing and seeing change in your engagement. I would love to hear any tips that you might want to share and add to the list, leave a comment below to let me know.